Great Big Story

What do David Bowie, NWA, and the theme song to Futurama all have in common? They’ve all used the Amen break, a four-bar drum solo that has become the most sampled loop in recorded music. The six second sample originates from the 1969 song “Amen, Brother” by a band called The Winstons. For years, the solo was buried deep in the musical archives, until hip-hop pioneer “Breakbeat Lou” Flores and his partner featured it on their compilation, “Ultimate Breaks and Beats.” Once producers caught wind of the solo, it took off and changed the course of music history.

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At the heart of CIA headquarters stands an enigmatic sculpture called Kryptos, encoded with a secret message. For over 30 years, it's stumped an entire community of puzzle solvers. Master cryptologist Elonka Dunin refuses to give up on this challenge and today, she may be inching closer and closer to cracking the code.

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This is a great big world we live in, and there are millions of untold stories all around us. Join us as we discover the curious, surprising, delightful side of the human experience.

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